SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell announced today that the Foreign Language instructional materials for grades K-8 selected for adoption consideration by the State Board of Education (SBE) are now available for public review.

"This is the time for parents, educators, anyone interested in the textbooks used by California's students, to take a look at the materials and make their opinions known to the State Board of Education," said O'Connell. "Once selected, these will be the materials used for at least the next 8 years."

The instructional materials cover five languages: Spanish, French, German, Japanese, and Latin. The materials have been evaluated by the members of the Instructional Materials Advisory Panels, which include teachers and foreign language experts. All of the materials under consideration have been on display since April 2003 at the Learning Resources Display Centers (LRDCs) located throughout the state. The Curriculum Development and Supplemental Materials Commission today released the list of materials it would be recommending to the SBE for adoption. The list of recommended materials and a list of the LRDCs are attached. You may view these instructional materials and submit your comments on forms available at the LRDCs.

The SBE, which adopts instructional materials for grades K-8, is scheduled to take action on November 12-13, 2003. Comments must be received by October 31, 2003, for them to be considered by the SBE.

Please mail comments to:
Curriculum Frameworks and Instructional Resources Division
California Department of Education, Suite 1201
P.O. Box 944272
Sacramento, CA 94244-2720
Comments also may be sent via fax to: 916-319-0172

Individuals also have the opportunity, whether or not they have completed public comment forms, to present their concerns at a public hearing of the SBE on November 12, 2003. The public hearing of the SBE marks the conclusion of the review for the materials submitted for the 2003 Foreign Language Primary Adoption for Grades K-8.

For further information on the availability of instructional materials for review please contact Susan Martimo, LRDC Liaison, Curriculum Frameworks and Instructional Resources Division, 916-319-0446, or smartimo@cde.ca.gov.

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Attachments

Learning Resource Display Centers

Foreign Language Recommended Programs List (Posted 25-Sep-2003; PDF; 107KB; 2pp.)